UK Government to launch £1.9bn cyber security strategy

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, will today announce the UK’s new National Cyber Security Strategy, which aims to overhaul the country’s approach to cyber threats.

According to the BBC, Mr Hammond said Britain “must now keep up with the scale and pace of the threats we face”.

”Our new strategy… will allow us to take even greater steps to defend ourselves in cyberspace and to strike back when we are attacked,” he added.

According to the government’s April 2016 Annual Report on the 2011-2016 Cyber Security Strategy, the 2016-2021 Cyber Security Strategy will include:

A £1.9 billion government investment “to provide the UK with the next generation of cyber security to defend our data, systems and networks, deter our adversaries, grow our cyber security sector and develop the critical capabilities that will make us a global leader in cyber security.”

The creation of a new National Cyber Security Centre to “bring together the UK’s cyber expertise, working hand in hand with industry, academic and international partners to keep the UK secure in cyberspace.”

The launch of “an ambitious cyber skills programme [to] build on existing initiatives to increase significantly the number of cyber security experts in the UK and produce the next generation of cyber skilled professionals.”

A programme “to grow further the UK’s cyber sector, encouraging movement between the public and private sectors to share expertise and innovation and bring ideas to market.”

Last year, George Osborne announced a £1.9 billion investment in the national cyber security budget as he affirmed the government’s “duty to protect the country from cyber attack, and to ensure that the UK can defend itself in cyberspace.”

The new strategy “will set out action needed to protect the UK economy and the privacy of British citizens, and will also encourage industry to ramp up efforts to prevent cyber-attacks,” said the BBC.

Find out Alan Calder’s view on this strategy and how it will affect businesses in his latest blog post.

Your role in the UK’s National Cyber Security Strategy

Cyber criminals can strike everyone, from the bedroom to the boardroom. Everyone – and businesses most of all – has a duty to take action.

To secure your business, take advantage of our 10% discount this week by using the voucher code UK-CYBER at the checkout or over the phone.